Femtosecond UV Pump/Near-IR Probe Studies of the Solvent-Dependent Excited-State Decay Dynamics of Chlorine Dioxide

Comparing molecular photofragmentation dynamics in the gas and liquid phases

This article explores the extent to which insights gleaned from detailed studies of molecular photodissociations in the gas phase (i.e. under isolated molecule conditions) can inform our understanding of the corresponding photofragmentation processes in solution. Systems selected for comparison include a thiophenol (p-methylthiophenol), a thioanisole (p-methylthioanisole) and phenol, in vacuum and in cyclohexane solution. UV excitation in the gas phase results in RX-Y (X = O, S; Y = H, CH3) bond fission in all cases, but over timescales that vary by ~4 orders of magnitude - all of which behaviours can be rationalised on the basis of the relevant bound and dissociative excited state potential energy surfaces (PESs) accessed by UV photoexcitation, and of the conical intersections that facilitate radiationless transfer between these PESs. Time-resolved UV pump-broadband UV/visible probe and/or UV pump-broadband IR probe studies of the corresponding systems in cyclohexane solution reveal additional processes that are unique to the condensed phase. Thus, for example, the data clearly reveal evidence of (i) vibrational relaxation of the photoexcited molecules prior to their dissociation and of the radical fragments formed upon X-Y bond fission, and (ii) geminate recombination of the RX and Y products (leading to reformation of the ground state parent and/or isomeric adducts). Nonetheless, the data also show that, in each case, the characteristics (and the timescale) of the initial bond fission process that occurs under isolated molecule conditions are barely changed by the presence of a weakly interacting solvent like cyclohexane. These condensed phase studies are then extended to an ether analogue of phenol (allyl phenyl ether), wherein UV photo-induced RO-allyl bond fission constitutes the first step of a photo-Claisen rearrangement.

Resonance Raman intensity analysis of ClNO(2) dissolved in methanol

Halogens such as chlorine are converted from halides, including ClNO(2), to reactive radicals by UV solar radiation. These radicals can affect ozone production and destruction in the stratosphere. Recently, it became clear that halogen radicals can also play a significant role in the chemistry of the troposphere. The photochemistry of ClNO(2) has been the subject of several studies in the gas and solid state that demonstrated a clear phase-dependent reactivity. Here, we report our initial studies of nitryl chloride in solution. Resonance Raman (RR) spectra of ClNO(2) dissolved in methanol after excitation within the 1(1)A(1)-2(1)A(1) absorption band (D band) in the region 200-240 nm are presented. RR intensity along the NO symmetric stretch coordinate (v(1)) at 1291 cm(-1) is observed at all excitation wavelengths, whereas limited intensity corresponding to the transition of the N-Cl symmetric stretch (v(3)) was only observed at 199.8 nm, whereas no intensity corresponding to the O-N-O symmetric bend (v(2)) was observed. Depolarization ratios and absolute resonance Raman cross sections for v(1) were obtained at several excitation wavelengths spanning the D band. Depolarization ratios were found to deviate significantly from 1/3, consistent with more than a single dipole-allowed electronic transition contributing to the scattering. RR intensity analysis (RRIA) reveals that two closely spaced excited electronic states contribute to the scattering, which are dissociative along the Cl-N coordinate. In this study the role the solvent environment plays in ClNO(2) state energetics and excited structural evolution along fundamental coordinates is discussed.

Femtosecond pump-probe studies of actinic-wavelength dependence in aqueous chlorine dioxide photochemistry

The actinic or photolysis-wavelength dependence of aqueous chlorine dioxide (OClO) photochemistry is investigated using femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. Following photoexcitation at 310, 335, and 410 nm the photoinduced evolution in optical density is measured from the UV to the near IR. Analysis of the optical-density evolution illustrates that the quantum yield for atomic chlorine production (Phi(Cl)) increases with actinic energy, with Phi(Cl)=0.16+/-0.02 for 410 nm excitation and increasing to 0.25+/-0.01 and 0.54+/-0.10 for 335 and 310 nm excitations, respectively. Consistent with previous studies, the production of Cl occurs through two channels, with one channel corresponding to prompt (<5 ps) Cl formation and the other corresponding to the thermal decomposition of ClOO formed by OClO photoisomerization. The partitioning between Cl production channels is dependent on actinic energy, with prompt Cl production enhanced with an increase in actinic energy. Limited evidence is found for enhanced ClO production with an increase in actinic energy. Stimulated emission and excited-state absorption features associated with OClO populating the optically prepared (2)A(2) surface decrease with an increase in actinic energy suggesting that the excited-state decay dynamics are also actinic energy dependent. The studies presented here provide detailed information on the actinic-wavelength dependence of OClO photochemistry in aqueous solution.

Time-resolved infrared absorption studies of the solvent-dependent vibrational relaxation dynamics of chlorine dioxide

We report a series of time-resolved infrared absorption studies on chlorine dioxide (OClO) dissolved in H2O, D2O, and acetonitrile. Following the photoexcitation at 401 nm, the evolution in optical density for frequencies corresponding to asymmetric stretch of OClO is measured with a time resolution of 120+/-50 fs. The experimentally determined optical-density evolution is compared with theoretical models of OClO vibrational relaxation derived from collisional models as well as classical molecular-dynamics (MD) studies. The vibrational relaxation rates in D2O are reduced by a factor of 3 relative to H2O consistent with the predictions of MD. This difference reflects modification of the frequency-dependent solvent-solute coupling accompanying isotopic substitution of the solvent. Also, the geminate-recombination quantum yield for the primary photofragments resulting in the reformation of ground-state OClO is reduced in D2O relative to H2O. It is proposed that this reduction reflects enhancement of the dissociation rate accompanying vibrational excitation along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate. In contrast to H2O and D2O, the vibrational-relaxation dynamics in acetonitrile are not well described by the theoretical models. Reproduction of the optical-density evolution in acetonitrile requires significant modification of the frequency-dependent solvent-solute coupling derived from MD. It is proposed that this modification reflects vibrational-energy transfer from the asymmetric stretch of OClO to the methyl rock of acetonitrile. In total, the results presented here provide a detailed description of the solvent-dependent geminate-recombination and vibrational-relaxation dynamics of OClO in solution.

Time resolved infrared absorption studies of geminate recombination and vibrational relaxation in OClO photochemistry

Ultrafast time-resolved infrared absorption studies of aqueous chlorine dioxide (OClO) photochemistry are reported. Following photoexcitation at 401 nm, the evolution in optical density at frequencies between 1000 to 1100 cm(-1) is monitored to investigate vibrational energy deposition and relaxation along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate following the reformation of ground-state OClO via geminate recombination of the primary photofragments. The measured kinetics are compared to two proposed models for the vibrational-relaxation dynamics along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate. This comparison demonstrates that the perturbation model derived from molecular dynamics studies is capable of qualitatively reproducing the observed kinetics, where the collisional model employed in previous UV-pump, visible probe experiments demonstrates poor agreement with experiment. The ability of the perturbation model to reproduce the optical-density evolution observed in these studies demonstrates that for aqueous OClO, frequency dependence of the solvent-solute coupling is important in defining the level-dependent vibrational relaxation rates along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate. The absence of optical-density evolution corresponding to the population of higher vibrational levels (n>8) along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate suggests that following geminate recombination, energy is initially deposited into a local Cl-O stretch, with the relaxation of vibrational energy from this coordinate providing for delayed vibrational excitation of the asymmetric- and symmetric-stretch coordinates relative to geminate recombination, as previously observed.